Notes from Hershey: Wrapping up the football season

Another high school football season in York and Adams Counties wound to its conclusion Friday, when West York and Delone Catholic both saw their respective seasons end. The Bulldogs fell to Bishop McDevitt in the District 3 Class AAA title game, while Delone lost a heartbreaker to Bellwood-Antis in double overtime of a PIAA Class A quarterfinal. Be sure to check coverage from Mike Rubin and Daniel Paulling in Altoona. More here and here.

I was in Hershey, where the Bulldogs fought hard but simply didn't have enough against an ultra-talented Bishop McDevitt that certainly wasn't at its best Friday. Some final notes to wrap up the Bulldogs' fine season.

Falling short on fourth-down: West York's fate was sealed in large part by a pair of fourth-down plays.

The first occurred on a punt play deep in Bulldogs territory in the second. West York utilizes a rugby-style punt formation, and Zack Smith took a snap and started to roll right. But a McDevitt end surged off that edge, and Smith was forced to cut the ball back inside.

"It would have gotten blocked and probably turned into a touchdown," Smith said. "So I tried to run it."

The standout receiver/defensive back was taken down at the 10 yard-line. McDevitt scored two plays later to take a 14-0 lead. At the time, the reaction among some in the press box was 'Why would West York fake punt from its own 4-yard line?' Obviously that was not the case.

The second game-changing fourth-down play come late in the third quarter. West York was trailing 14-10, and faced a fourth-and-3 from its own 35. The Bulldogs originally sent their punt team on the to field, at which point McDevitt -- possibly scared of a fake -- called a timeout.

During the timeout, West York coach Ron Miller decided to change course. He sent his offense back on the field.

“(Quarterback Brandon Kinneman) came over and he was frustrated,” Miller said of his quarterback. “He was like ‘Coach, I’m telling you we can get this.’

“I said ‘You know what, the heck with it.’ I trust my kids.”

The call backfired. Kinneman kept the ball on a zone read but was stopped for no gain. The Crusaders turned that field position into another touchdown to take a 21-10 lead.

"Obviously in hindsight, I’m kicking myself," Miller said. "I let my kids down tonight. But I believe in my kids and I believe in Brandon Kinneman more than anybody I’ve coached in a long time. He told me we can get it, we didn’t make a play.

"Tonight I felt we had to take a chance and gamble at times."

In all, West York had five turnovers on downs.

McDevitt's lines step up: Before Friday's game, Miller said he believed the offensive and defensive lines were areas he felt his team could have an advantage over the Crusaders. But McDevitt more than held its own against West York's senior-laden fronts.

"Our defensive staff did a good job," Crusaders coach Jeff Weachter said. "They were monitoring the internet, articles about how they were the best offensive line.

"We challenged our line, both offensively and defensive. Really, for as many guys as they had in the box, I thought we ran the ball pretty well, too."

Aerial attack: Bishop McDevitt quarterback Alec Werner had another big game, completing 21 of 31 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He did fire two red-zone interceptions, however.

Werner surpassed the the 3,000-yard plateau for the season during the first quarter, becoming the fourth quarterback in Pennsylvania history to register back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons.

The senior set the tone early, with a brilliant touchdown pass on McDevitt's first drive. On a fourth-and-long from the 28, Werner fired a perfect pass up the seam that split West York's safeties and hit freshman Kobay White for a touchdown.

Werner's top target, soon-to-be Division I recruit Brian Lemelle, recovered from a few early drops to finish with 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Snellbaker carries the load: Brock Snellbaker had another strong performance rushing the ball for West York. He churned out 89 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, including a two-yard touchdown run the second quarter.

He finished the season as West York's leading rusher with more than 950 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Quick hits: West York fell to 3-2 overall in district title games. Both those losses have come to Bishop McDevitt. ... The Bulldogs' 10 points were the fewest they've scored this season, seven fewer than they scored during a 17-15 win over Dallastown in Week 3. ... Werner completed passes to five different receivers in the first quarter alone, and hit six different pass catchers on the night. ... McDevitt won its third straight district title, and it's 10th overall District 3 crown. The Crusaders will play Erie Cathedral Prep in the state semifinals next week.